


as worlds collide, the stars fade away

by sunset_oasis



Series: Innocent Before Yesterday [20]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Titanic Fusion, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst and Humor, Multi, all in one go, not everybody makes it, the ship sinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 15:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12135834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunset_oasis/pseuds/sunset_oasis
Summary: They started out as friends, and ended in a shipwreck.Tedromeda Titanic AU.





	as worlds collide, the stars fade away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amberwoods](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwoods/gifts).



> disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
> 
> also, I think Bellatrix is canonically the oldest, but for plot purposes, I altered it a bit to let Andromeda be the oldest of the 3 Black Sisters in the story.

 

Druella and Cygnus Black held their head high, and strode onto the board like they were royalty. It was a long time habit of sorts, a show of their inherent upper-classness.

Though the truth was that despite the Blacks' old name and longtime firm, prestigious standing in the society, both the family fortune and their position in the high society were now in rapid decline. Not many people knew it at that moment, but for those who knew where to look, it was more than a little clear.

However, Druella felt fairly confident their current situation at hand could be resolved soon. The Black family just had a betrothal contract with the Lestrange family, and she believed that the marriage of their eldest daughter, Andromeda, to their son Rodolphus Lestrange, would help preserve their family's standing and bring in new fortune.

As Druella and Cygnus stepped onto Titanic, the luxurious, beautiful ship that claimed to be unsinkable, their three daughters trailing behind them, the whole family as first class passengers, they felt that the future was looking nice and bright.

 

* * *

 

" _Today marked a unveil of the Titanic, and its maiden voyage …_ " journalist Rita Skeeter scribbled on her notes as she walked aboard, gazing around the large ship with her sharp eyes and trying to capture everything. After some negotiations, her editor had finally relented and agreed to let her be the one to do the coverage of the news of Titanics, from the grand opening ceremony before the sail, to the details of every day aboard the ship. Also, she  _loved_  travelling using the company's accounts.

"Got some good pictures at the ceremony?" Rita walked up to her photographer and asked.

"The best," Ted Tonks grinned back at her. "Got the ship nice and clear in all angles. And some celebrities and high profile people, too."

Rita's eyes sparkled enthusiastically. "Excellent." Those people usually brought the most gossip material, and the readers always loved it. Aside from the ship, she needed to spend time on those as well. She rummaged through her notes again and turned to Ted, "Hey, did you hear the Blacks will be here as well?"

Ted furrowed his eyebrows, "That's interesting. Hmm, didn't their eldest son ran off to the Continent with his friends and started some band a few years ago?"

"Yeah, Sirius Black. Caused a big scandal at that time, that one." Rita agreed, and then lowered her voice a bit and said conspiratorially. "I heard he and the lead singer Potter are more than just friends, though. I really should write something about that someday. But the family aboard today is the Sirius Black's 3 cousins and his aunt and uncle."

 

* * *

 

Gilderoy Lockhart, renowned author, strolled along the verandah, cocktail in hand, and smiled charmingly at the photographer when he walked past. The photographer clicked on his camera obligatorily, and Gilderoy gave him a small salute with his glass of cocktail.

Truthfully, he hoped something exciting would happen on this trip. Or disastrous. Or maybe both. He didn't mind, so long as he got out of it safely, which he'd found it was something he had a great knack of. It would be great inspiration for his next book, and it would sell, as it always did.

Plus, since he was travelling with a lethal female companion who was great at surviving things, and was resourceful as hell at the same time, he was feeling good about his chances of making his way through anything that might happen.

"Sweetheart," he drawled as he saw the said female companion approaching.

Recently widowed (for the second time), Gabriella Zabini still looked as elegant and beautiful as ever. Dressed like the social butterfly she was, her dress wrapped her around perfectly and emphasized various parts that made people looked back twice. There were probably weapons or vials of poisons hidden underneath, and maybe a sharp knife hidden somewhere in the red high heels, too.

She rolled her eyes, "No need to waste your charms on me, Gilderoy. Save it for your fangirls."

"Practice makes perfect," he shrugged, giving her a falsely innocent smile.

"I got poisoning right on my first try," she countered, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Well, we all have our specialties," Gilderoy offered magnanimously. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go grace the loyal fans with my presence."

 

* * *

 

Narcissa Black was winning money at the casino on Titanic. She realized the blond – probably someone from the Malfoy family, because no one else had that kind of pale blond hair – had been eyeing her for the past few days she'd been here, but she pretended not to notice it as she kept playing. She always had a hand with this, and as long as she kept winning, her parents probably wouldn't mind.

"Hey, Narcissa," Rodolphus Lestrange entered the casino, frowning. "Have you seen Andromeda?"

 

* * *

 

Andromeda Black gazed out at the ocean unhappily. Well, watching the ocean waves was soothing, and it calmed her a bit, but still wasn't enough to distract her from her worries. Call her unrealistic and overly dreamy, maybe, but she just didn't want to marry for the sake of money, for the sake of retaining their family's high society standing. She didn't want to be seen like some bargaining chip, or some commodity to be sold, for her parents to buy their way back to the luxurious high society life.

To be honest, Rodolphus Lestrange wasn't too bad. The problem was that she didn't love him. She and he would be at best acquaintances, and she knew that she wouldn't have a happy marriage with him. Adequate, maybe, in terms of money and creature comforts. But loveless.

Her eyes traced the seemingly endless ocean water to faraway, to the line on the horizon, separating the light blue skies and the deep blue ocean.

She felt bluer than either of them.

 

* * *

 

"Gilderoy Lockhart," Rita commented disdainfully. "I've always thought his tales are  _moooore_  than a bit embellished."

"He's a novelist," Ted said drily. "Of course they're embellished."

"Yeah, but he doesn't say he writes novels, no, he claims to have actually lived through –"

"Wait for a moment," Ted interrupted urgently. "The woman up there, do you think she's going to jump –"

Rita snapped her head back, and her eyes widened. "Oh god, it's one of those Sirius Black's cousins. This is going to make headline!"

"No time for headlines, Rita!" Ted shouted, already running away, trying to find a way to the upper deck.

 

* * *

 

Narcissa blinked twice as she sat down at one of the casino tables. The redhead dealer looked familiar, and not because she'd been coming here since the start of the cruise, but because she was pretty sure she had just seen him busily serving the buffet before she came here, and he shouldn't be able to move here in such a short time.

He dealt her some cards, and she couldn't resist asking, "I thought I just saw you at the buffet minutes ago."

His lips quirked up into a half-smile, like something pulling up her heartstrings unexpectedly. "Well, Ma'am, I think you saw my twin, Fabian. He's one of the waiters, and I work in the casino. Gideon Prewett, at your service."

 

* * *

 

"Don't mind her, Andromeda's moody like that sometimes," Bellatrix said brightly, her face shining with devilish delight. Rodolphus looked at the woman who was soon to be his sister-in-law. She looked quite similar to Andromeda, but her hair was darker, her eyes more enthusiastic at times. Her mind jumped quickly through things, seemingly easily distracted, but if he listened closely, he could sense the underlying patterns, he could sense her brilliantness.

He wondered, for the first time, if it was weird that he seemed to enjoy spending time more with his fiancée's sister than his fiancée.

Well, they were going to be family anyway, he supposed it was natural to get along.

 

* * *

 

Andromeda was standing at the tip of the deck, gazing out at the ocean. Her sense of balance had always been good, so she wasn't afraid of standing near the edge, her hands only lightly holding onto the railing as she leant forward. It was one of the few thrills she could find these days, she thought, as the wind blew her hair back. Life aboard was dull, even though there were tons of entertainment, she didn't seem to be able to enjoy it.

She really should get more adventurous.

She thought of her cousins. After Sirius ran off with his band The Marauders, Regulus soon joined him. Her aunt Walburga had tried to pretend that it hadn't happened. Regulus was supposed to be the good son, the dutiful son, fulfilling everything Sirius had failed. Instead, he'd left the family too.

Andromeda felt simultaneously proud and envious. Regulus had actually written to her a few weeks ago before she got on the Titanic. It turned out that the earlier rumors of Sirius dating James Potter wasn't true, and it was actually Regulus who was romantically involved with Potter.

He sounded so in love in his letter.

Andromeda thought back at her own arranged, loveless marriage and let out a long sigh.

It was then she heard the panicked shouting behind her.

 

* * *

 

Ted was running. The woman was still on the ship, and he was relieved to see that he didn't seem to be too late, or maybe she'd never intended to jump and he was just being paranoid. But he didn't want to risk it, and continued to rush forward.

"Hey," he shouted, and the woman turned to face him.

 

* * *

 

Rita ran after Ted, though with less speed as she was in her heels. When she made a left turn on the stairs, though, she ran headfirst into someone.

"You!" she exclaimed furiously, and Gilderoy Lockhart winked at her.

"Me," he agreed pleasantly, "want a signature?"

"No," she snapped, "get out of my way. There's a crisis –" she looked over at Ted and the woman, who seemed to have stepped away from the edge. "Well, looks like it's averted."

"Crisis averted?" Lockhart said, sounding disappointed. " _Without me?_ "

"As if that's a surprise," Rita sneered back. "Have you actually  _solved_  any emergencies like you said you did in your  _novels_?"

"I'll have you know that those aren't novels, and are well documented truths –"

"Well documented proof of a writing piece of fantasy literature?" Rita retorted, and Lockhart's eyes narrowed.

"Not to worry, Gilderoy," a woman's voice interrupted them, and Rita turned slightly only to be stunned at the sight of the most beautiful woman she'd ever met.

 

* * *

 

To Ted's relief, the woman – Andromeda Black, he learnt – wasn't actually contemplating on jumping off the ship. However, she did have some troubles in life that she seemed to have no one to talk to, and he ended up chatting with her and listening to her worries and complaints about arranged marriages.

He was indignant for her, and thought that it was unfair of her parents to use her like that. He thought that Rita would probably said something about "I've seen stories like this" or "that's how the people like the Blacks do things, Ted". And maybe that was, when he was simply hearing it as some story involving people he didn't know. But when the woman stood in front of him, her misery obviously showing despite her elegance, it no longer seemed like just a story in the newspaper.

"You don't have to marry him if you don't want to," he blurted out, impulsive, well aware that he might sound naïve, but he didn't care.

She just gave him a faint, sad smile.

 

* * *

 

Of  _course_  Rita had heard of Gabriella Zabini. She was a journalist, after all, and a good one at that. It was important in her profession to know people, and definitely stunningly pretty widows who'd inherited large fortunes.

Gabriella turned towards Lockhart with a smirk, "I met a psychic, Trelawney or something, in the third class cabin, and she said that the ship going to meet an iceberg next week. Your time to play hero has come."

"Do you actually believe in that?" Rita scoffed. "Plus, so  _what_  if we meet an iceberg? The ship's unsinkable, and the captain would probably diverted the path a bit when they see the iceberg."

"Well, then, I could be the one to alert the captain about this, and maybe take over the steering wheel when he needed help –"

"Do you even know  _how_  to steer a ship?" Rita said, derisively.

Lockhart smiled charmingly at her, "If you've read my books, you'll know that I'm a man of many talents."

 

* * *

 

Ted took her to one of the parties at the lower class cabins, one she was sure she wouldn't meet Rodolphus at. She was a little uncomfortable at first, wearing a dress that was clearly unaffordable to most people there, but she gradually found that no one minded.

The music started, and Ted took her hand and danced.

Somehow, despite their background differences, despite it was the first time the two ever danced together, they seemed oddly compatible. They fell into rhythm easily, twirling around with fluidity. Her shoulders relaxed, and Ted gave her a warm smile.

Her heart fluttered.

 

* * *

 

Narcissa grabbed Gideon's hand as the two of them ran across the deck, hurrying back to his room. She hoped she wouldn't meet anyone she knew on the way. It was Gideon's hour off, and she wanted to savor it.

She stopped a little, and her eyes widened at the sight of what seemed to be Rodolphus kissing her sister. Only by the hair color, she knew that clearly wasn't Andromeda, but Bellatrix.

"What's wrong?" Gideon nudged her a little.

Narcissa took a deep breath. They didn't have that much time before Gideon had to work again. "Nothing. Let's go."

They ran.

 

* * *

 

Andromeda and Ted became friends. They would take a walk together under the moonlight at nights, and visit different parts of the ship at day. Slowly, he started taking up more and more place in her heart, though she didn't realize it.

Her parents were disapproving of her becoming friends with a photographer from some newspaper company. In their opinion, people like the Blacks should only befriend their fellow upper class people. People who didn't have to work to earn a living.

Rodolphus just shrugged, seemingly not to mind, and said that perhaps it would do her good to have some friends of her own.

 

* * *

 

"Hey, journalist," Rita heard a smooth drawl behind her, and she turned around to see Gabriella Zabini. Her breath caught a bit, and Rita thought that she really should stop getting starstruck at this woman. But it wasn't Rita's fault that the famous widow was so pretty, was it?

With some effort, Rita pulled her gaze away from Gabriella's low-cut blue dress that showcased her cleavage at a  _very_  appealing angle. Though when she tried to focus on the other woman's angelic face, it wasn't much less attractive either. "Yeah?"

"Fancy a drink at the bar?" Gabriella asked, reclining against the wall.

"Sure," Rita found her mouth replying before her brain even authorized it to.

"Brilliant," Gabriella gave her a wide, stunning smile.

 

* * *

 

Before they parted that night, Ted looked at Andromeda hesitantly, and Andromeda could feel some kind of anticipation and tension between them. She wasn't sure what it was, but it made her skin itch a bit, made her mouth dry, made her uneasy yet excited.

"I should go," Ted finally said, and Andromeda could hear  _something_  in his voice. Something tense, something  _wanting_ , something –

"Yeah," she replied, steadying herself.

He gazed at her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She stilled.

"See you tomorrow," he said breathily before leaving.

It was just on the cheek, but she found herself thinking about the kiss the whole night.

 

* * *

 

Gilderoy raised his eyebrows in surprise when two women joined him at breakfast. Gabriella was expected, but that annoying Skeeter journalist was not.

He looked at Gabriella's smug smile, and Skeeter's ruffled blond curls, and the pieces suddenly clicked. "Oh dear, you slept with her, didn't you?"

Skeeter opened her mouth to say something, but Gabriella just leant back onto her chair casually. "Ever so observant, Gilderoy."

 

* * *

 

Andromeda sat with her parents, Bellatrix, and Rodolphus at the breakfast, barely listening to what they were saying. Bellatrix was staring at her with a weird and shrewd look, but she wasn't paying attention. Narcissa wasn't there at all. Druella made some comment about how Narcissa must have overslept again, and Andromeda nodded absently.

 

* * *

 

 _It's just a casual fling on a cruise,_  Narcissa told herself.  _Nothing more. I need to end it soon._

Gideon turned around on the bed lazily.

 _Well, maybe another day_.

 

* * *

 

"What do you see in her?" Gilderoy asked, scathing. "At least when it comes to men, you have taste in the rich ones. She? She isn't even rich."

"Maybe when it comes to women, she has taste in intelligent ones," Skeeter suggested. Gabriella laughed, her voice ringing like bells.

Gilderoy scoffed. "Intelligent?  _You_?!"

"She did know you're a fraud," Gabriella pointed out, taking a sip of the coffee. "That's smarter than your adoring fans, obviously. Which, according to you, are a lot of people."

"Shhhh," Gilderoy hissed, looking around urgently. "Not so loud."

Rita Skeeter looked smug, and Gilderoy wanted to pour his coffee across her face.

 

* * *

 

As Ted and Andromeda stood on the deck and watched the distant scenery together, the tension from last night did not disappear. Instead, it seemed to grow thicker, and she felt like she could cut it with a knife.

He turned away from the ocean view slightly and faced her, and she could see every detail of his face. His brown eyes were soft, his hesitant smile gentle. If she stared into his eyes – no, she couldn't bear to stare into his eyes, she couldn't summon the courage to see what emotions were in it, because a part of her already knew.

She closed her eyes, desperately hoping she could avoid it this way.

When she opened them again, she saw Ted looking straight into her, and suddenly her breath caught, something inside her shifted. A sudden courage – or maybe impulse – went through her, and she did something she was sure would terrify her parents were they to learn this.

Andromeda leant forwards and kissed Ted.

 

* * *

 

"Why do you care?" Skeeter huffed in amusement. "What, are you jealous?"

"Of course not," Gilderoy said immediately. "Why ever would I be?" He wasn't jealous when his friend married her ex-husbands. (He knew they were going to die soon, anyway.) Why would he be jealous of some girl, that he knew Gabriella would probably not even marry?

Except maybe that was why. If she wasn't going to marry her, there was always a chance that Skeeter was here to stay. And that woman, as Gilderoy was loathed to admit it, was indeed smart. Someone Gabriella would appreciate the brains of, and not just a random girl she shagged once on a foreign holiday.

Gilderoy was afraid that his position as best-friend-with-benefits would be usurped.

"Why ever indeed?" Gabriella echoed, her voice sweet and honey smooth. She flung an arm across Rita, and then proceeded to kiss the other woman. Passionately.

Gilderoy stared, his jaw falling open.

"Are you jealous?" Gabriella asked again, drawling.

"… Maybe," Gilderoy said slowly, while a part of him was screaming at him that admitting this was a very bad idea.

"Of whom?" Gabriella prompted, and Gilderoy thought the answer should be pretty damn obvious as he opened his mouth to reply, but then he stopped, because actually, he wasn't sure at all –

"Oh my god," Skeeter widened her eyes, realization downing.

Gabriella just grinned.

 

* * *

 

Ted felt Andromeda's lips melted into his. His hands cupped her face, tracing the side of her face, while hers dug into his hair.

He thought that nothing in his life had ever felt this  _right_.

"Don't marry him," his whispered against her lips. "Run away with me."

"Okay," she whispered back.

 

* * *

 

"You know, you should marry me and not Andi," Bellatrix said reasonably. "I mean, there was never love between you two, and it's about our families anyway. Plus, you and I are more compatible."

Rodolphus was starting to think that she might have a point.

 

* * *

 

"See you later tonight," Narcissa said, winking mischievously at Gideon before leaving the casino.

"As the lady wishes," he winked back.

 _One more night_ , Narcissa told herself. _Well, maybe two._

 

* * *

 

Sybill Trelawney was one of the earliest people to realize what happened, aside from some crew who saw the iceberg. While she did not see the iceberg herself, she got a sudden, terrible feeling a minute before the ship crashed into it, and she knew, somehow, that this was going to be the disaster she foresaw last week.

She screamed.

 

* * *

 

Suddenly, everyone was well aware of the ship was tilting. People were running everywhere, calling out their loved ones' names. Some crew were urging the passengers to calm down, and trying to direct the women, children, and first class passengers to the lifeboats.

Rita recalled the research she did before boarding, "I don't think they have enough lifeboats. Because the ship being unsinkable and all that."

"What?" Gilderoy demanded incredulously. "If you want something to boast about, you should always have backup plans."

"Well, you should teach a lesson in boasting if we ever survive this shipwreck," Rita yelled back.

"I've still got some gold back in my room," Gabriella hesitated, then shook her head decisively. "Doesn't matter. I've got plenty of gold. Let's go."

 

* * *

 

"This is goodbye, I suppose, Narcissa Black."

"If you don't survive this I'll kill you," she rambled, half aware that she wasn't making sense.

"Don't worry, I've always had great luck at gambling, remember? I'll survive it. Now go." Gideon Prewett's index ran across Narcissa's jaw gently. "See you on the other side, Miss Black."

 

* * *

 

The crew blocked Ted as he and Andromeda ran to the lifeboat boarding area. "Women, children, and first class passengers first," the crew explained, only slightly apologetic. Andromeda wanted to yell at him, to cry, but she did neither.

"Go on," Ted told her, with the saddest smile ever. She blinked, feeling her eyes glistening. "Go, Andi. Be safe."

"Ted –" her words got lost in his mouth, and they kissed desperately. She wondered if she would ever see him again. She wondered if they would survive this. She wondered if she would still want to survive if he didn't.

She daren't find out the answer.

"I love you," he whispered, his soft words all she could hear, and all the noise of the crowds faded in the background. "I love you, Andromeda Black."

"I love you too," she choked out. "Forever and always."

He gave her a faint smile, sad and beautiful.

"What are you doing, kissing a man like him?" Andromeda heard her mother screeched from the lifeboat. "The  _disgrace_  –"

"Mum," Andromeda protested, stammering loudly. Ted held her hand tightly.

Another passenger boarded the lifeboat, and the crew pushed it into the ocean. Ted started yelling, "No, wait!"

"I'm sorry, the lifeboat is already full," the crew said firmly. "In fact, I think all lifeboats might be –"

"No!"

Andromeda held onto Ted's hand even tighter. "It's fine, really. At least we're together."

"It's not fine, I won't let you die – I'll find a way. I promise." Ted said, determined, even as his voice shook a little.

Just at that moment, the ship cracked in half.

 

* * *

 

"You know what the next headline of my article would be?  _Renowned Novelist Gilderoy Lockhart's Grand Escape_  –" Rita began, her legs folded as she sat on the lifeboat.

Gilderoy shut her up with a kiss.

 

* * *

 

They rode the stern onto the lapping waves after the ship break, holding each other's hand tightly, afraid to part. But Ted knew that he couldn't hold onto her forever as the stern began to tilt, to sink.

He caught sight of a floating wood, and his hopes lifted a little just as the stern slid a little more into the ocean. There wasn't much time left, he knew. And her safety was more important than anything.

"C'mon, let's get you onto that," he panted. "It won't hold both of us. But it'll hold you."

She looked pained. He wanted to hug her forever, but he knew that he couldn't.  _Shouldn't_.

"Come on," he said firmly.

"Before meeting you, my life was miserable," she began, "I'll die for you, you know.  _With_  you."

"I'd much rather you  _live_  for me, Andromeda," he said softly, and that was when she cried.

Gently but also unyieldingly, he helped her onto the piece of floating wood.

"I love you," he told her again, his voice almost lost in the roar of the ocean.

"I love you too, Ted Tonks," she sobbed, as he kissed her one last time.

 

* * *

 

She was holding the wood tightly, and a few feet away, he was being dragged down into the ocean by the waves. The water was cold, and she couldn't help but shiver. Andromeda's eyelids felt heavy, but she struggled to keep it open, struggle to not faint and pass out, because she worried that once she closed her eyes, she might never see Ted again.

The ocean took him further away, further down.

Her body gave up to exhaustion, and her eyes finally closed.

 

* * *

 

She woke up in a hospital bed.

Though Andromeda would live to a ripe old age, her fear that day was right. Because that day on the floating wood, that day after the ship sank –

It was the last time she ever saw Ted.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](http://ff-sunset-oasis.tumblr.com)


End file.
